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America and Russia need to warn Turkey to stop its ambition against the Kurds in Syria

America and Russia need to warn Turkey to stop its ambition against the Kurds in Syria

Nuray Lydia Oglu, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

If nations give President Erdogan of Turkey “an inch” then he will “take a mile.” Hence, President Trump of America needs to warn a fellow NATO member that Turkey risks dire consequence if this nation oversteps the mark.

Also, the Kurds and other allies of America in Northern Syria mustn’t face the prospect of death by a fellow NATO member. Equally important, Trump must express to Erdogan that “no American option is off the table” when it comes to protecting forces that fought ISIS (Islamic State – IS). Therefore, America needs to act swiftly before an emboldened Turkey ups the ante against the Kurds in Northern Syria.

Similarly, President Putin of the Russian Federation may welcome tensions between two NATO powers in Syria. Yet, it is galling for the armed forces of Syria to witness Turkey and the Free Syrian Army (a proxy and sectarian terrorist unit) moving freely in Northern Syria. After all, images have shown NATO Turkey turning a blind eye to ISIS and other Sunni Takfiris, or much worse when these Sunni Islamist forces have attacked the Kurds or the armed forces of Syria.

In other words, Putin, like Trump, will risk losing the good faith of the Syrian people who support the central government of this nation. After all, Turkey will become emboldened unless a threat exists to stem its ambition in Northern Syria. Hence, Putin’s joy of two NATO members being against each other will soon evaporate when Turkey oversteps the mark.

Reuters reports, “President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey would extend its military operation in Syria to the town of Manbij, a move that could potentially bring Turkish forces into confrontation with those of their NATO ally the United States.”

The ground and air attack by Turkey titled “Operation Olive Branch” aimed at the Kurdish YPG in Northern Syria once more shows how this nation flouts international law. Of course, Turkey isn’t alone in flouting international law because all Permanent Members (America, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom) of the United Nations appear to believe they are above the law. Hence, Turkey is still occupying Northern Cyprus while the armed forces of this nation think nothing about entering Northern Syria and Northern Iraq – and supporting international Sunni Takfiris against Libya and Syria when it suits the geopolitical ambitions of Turkey.

It is clear that Turkey is now thinking about a push towards Manbij following on from its current bombing of Afrin and the surrounding region. In other words, Erdogan is once more being emboldened based on the current weakness of America and other NATO members – and the shortsighted view of the Russian Federation. Therefore, political elites in Moscow and Washington need to curtail the anti-Kurdish ambitions of Turkey and the geopolitical containment policies of this nation aimed at the central government of Syria.

The BBC reports, “The UN says it is deeply concerned by the fighting, and has warned that an estimated 323,000 civilians in Afrin are at risk. About 126,000 of them had already been displaced before this Turkish offensive and now face further upheaval.”

Overall, while the Russian Federation may gain from short-term glee based on the squabbling of two NATO powers, this will soon fade when an emboldened Turkey oversteps the mark. The knock on effect is the dissatisfaction of Syria towards the Russian Federation based on the occupation of Northern Syria by the armed forces of Turkey. Similarly, the Kurdish YPG and other forces that have helped America will feel betrayed by this nation. Therefore, it is essential that America and the Russian Federation curtail the ambitions of Turkey in Northern Syria before the situation becomes out of hand.